The African

Summary

The African is Harold Courlander's critically-acclaimed novel of the slave trade as seen through the eyes of Hwesuhunu. An insightful journey through the volatile frontiers of American slavery, this unforgettable story is the riveting primary source for Alex Haley's Pulitzer Prize-winning novel Roots. Hwesuhunu's life is portrayed in heartbreaking detail. Starting with his capture by French slave traders and the horrors of the Middle Passage, The African recounts his heroic fight for survival while shipwrecked on the island of Saint Lucia, his enslavement on a Georgia plantation, and his fate-driven quest for freedom as a runaway. Throughout these ordeals, Courlander passionately and eloquently conveys the full panorama of Hwesuhunu's emotions, from the desperate confusion over his plight to his consuming search for his life's meaning. Peter Francis James' deeply resonant voice brings Courlander's masterful prose to life with power and purpose.